Strictly Legal: Phony ‘retired lawyer’ fined for illegal practice

Kathryn Leger, Special to the Gazette05.25.2012

“Under false names, Romain Ronald Christen swindles and defrauds his victims by passing himself off as a retired lawyer,” Court of Quebec Judge Suzanne Bousquet said in her judgment.Scales of justice photo
/ Postmedia

MONTREAL - A man who falsely told Montreal senior citizens and other “vulnerable” people that he was a lawyer and did pro bono work has been slammed with $21,500 in fines for three cases of illegal practice of the profession.

“Under false names, Romain Ronald Christen swindles and defrauds his victims by passing himself off as a retired lawyer,” Court of Quebec Judge Suzanne Bousquet states in her judgment rendered last Friday against Christen – also known as Ronald R.F. Dawson and Ron Dawson as proven in the case.

Friday’s court sanction is the latest of three court actions launched against Christen by the Barreau de Montréal as part of its mission to protect the public and the integrity of the profession.

Lawyer Nathalie Guertin, secretary of a committee at the Montreal Bar that looks into any case of the illegal practice of law, began an investigation after Wendy Patrick complained that a man named Ron R.F. Dawson who identified himself as a lawyer had showed up at the Lakeshore General Hospital before her aunt, Lorna Hughes, died there, and claimed he had a legal mandate to oversee her affairs.

Patrick testified that her aunt told her that Ron Dawson had presented himself as a semi-retired lawyer who did pro bono work while she and other seniors from a nearby residence regularly met for coffee at the Topaz restaurant – and that the woman had given him no legal mandate to manage her assets before or during her hospitalization.

Patrick also told the court that, as executor of her aunt’s estate, she discovered documents that revealed her aunt had loaned $14,000 to Dawson and given him $3,500 to buy gold bullion.

Judge Bousquet sentenced Christen to pay $6,500, the maximum asked for by the Bar and $5,000 above the minimum fine – in what is believed to be the first court sanction obtained against someone presenting themselves as a retired lawyer whose name is not listed on the Quebec Bar’s roll of accredited lawyers.

Said Sébastien Pierre-Roy, the lawyer from Chenette, Litigation Boutique Inc. mandated to act for the Bar in the cases against Christen:

“We had argued that there were major aggravating circumstances, notably the fact that he used the title (of retired lawyer) to take money from the victim (Hughes) and that he lied about his identity to try and hide his identity, and the court found in our favour.”

Pierre-Roy said the Montreal Bar also obtained two other judgments against Christen for acting as a lawyer, in one case taking action on behalf of two recently arrived immigrants against their employer, and another involving a woman trying to settle an estate.

The fine was $13,500 on three infractions for acting as a lawyer on behalf of the immigrants. Christen was declared guilty because he did not show up in court for that hearing or the one involving Patrick’s aunt. A minimum fine of $1,500 for presenting himself as a lawyer in the succession case was worked out after Christen agreed to plead guilty when he showed up for court for sentencing in the Patrick case last Friday.

“The sentences of Mr. Christen in the various files showed that the people he targeted were people who had more vulnerability than the average person,” Pierre-Roy said.

It is possible to check if someone is a registered lawyer in Quebec by calling 514-954-3400, or toll free 1-800-361-8495, or by email at tableau@barreau.qc.ca

Two Montreal lawyers have new global assignments. Norman Steinberg, chairman of Norton Rose Canada LLP, is travelling the world to work on new business development for the next year as the first non-British chairman of Norton Rose Group, formed early in 2010 to accommodate the merger of London-based Norton Rose LLP with a law firm in Australia, and subsequently with law firms in Canada (Ogilvy Renault LLP) and South Africa. BCF LLP lawyer André Ryan has been elected as the chairman of the board of Meritas, a global alliance of 175 independent member firms and close to 7,000 lawyers serving 233 markets, for a two-year term that will begin in April, 2013.

On the agenda for next Tuesday: Gerald Rip, chief justice of the Tax Court of Canada, and veteran Spiegel Sohmer tax lawyer Robert Raich will speak about developments in tax law at a dinner conference organized by the Canadian Institute of Contemporary Jewish Law & Ethics. Raich will also provide some tips about how lawyers can better manage their personal financial tax matters at the meet, which qualifies both for Quebec lawyers and notaries under the mandatory continuing legal education program.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.